Curran rescues England innings

Sam Curran channelled his Trent Bridge disappointment into much-needed runs for England on his Test recall against India in Southampton yesterday.

Curran, man of the match in the opener at Edgbaston at the start of a series which stands at 2-1 to the hosts with two to play, dug them out of a hole on day one at the Ageas Bowl with his second halfcentury in three innings.

Between them, he was the fall guy in Nottingham to accommodate the return of Ben Stokes – a turn of events which he refuses to dwell on with any negativity.

The upshot was a careerbest 78 from number eight as the 20-year-old allrounder’s stands of 81 with Moeen Ali and then 63 with Stuart Broad helped England recover from a hapless 86 for six against the swinging ball to a still under-par 246 all out.

India closed on 19 for none from just four overs at the start of their reply.

Asked if his absence the week before galvanised him, Curran said: “I was disappointed, but at the same time took it as a positive. I wasn’t proving a point at all – I was just playing the way I do, naturally and freely with no fear.”

Curran absolved England’s misfiring top order of collective blame for their collapse after Joe Root chose to bat first – citing difficult batting conditions and the skill of an India attack led by Jasprit Bumrah.

“It was pretty tough – it swung massively throughout the day,” he said.

“There were some very good balls in there, to a lot of the top order – they got some very good ones.

“We managed to get 246, which from 86 for six looks a decent score now, with how much the wicket has done and how much it has swung.”